Electronic devices charged with battery

WE HERE AT THE INQ hate it when our mobile devices die on us, especially when we're out and about. The worst has to be long haul flights where, once your portable entertainment devices run dry, you're stuck for the duration. Not to mention that travelling involves carry a plethora of adaptors and chargers to recharge your electronic gadgetry when you do eventually find a power source.

This is where Exspect's new Recharge4 comes into play. It's an absurdly simple little thing, really not much more than a rechargeable Li-ion battery with a set of adaptors that will plug into almost every electronic gizmo out there. Simple it may be, and it does its job perfectly.

Once you've managed to extract the device from its near indestructible heat sealed packaging you'll find the unit itself, a charger, the adaptor cable, a carry pouch, a small instruction leaflet and the adaptors for whichever variant you purchased. In this case we went for the MP3 pack, which contains two adaptors, a USB female socket and power connector compatible with several of the most popular MP3 players including the Creative Zen range.

Recharge4 is currently available in four flavours; MP3, Portable gaming, Mobile Phone and iPod. Each pack is essentially the same, with the only variation being the adaptors provided. Another smart move on the behalf of Exspect to sell the adaptors separately as well so you can obtain all the connectors you need without having to buy multiple units.

Given what it is, the unit is quite aesthetically pleasing, it's a decently small size and weighs 360g, not feather light but batteries never are. On the front you'll see a series of LEDs and single button labelled C-Check/Start. The LEDs light up when you push the button to indicate the remaining charge in the battery and to begin charging any connected device. There is also a small single LED at the top that lights up if there is a problem. On the bottom and side you'll find two ports covered with hinged rubber seals to protect them, the bottom connector is for plugging the charger and the socket on the side is for connecting the universal adaptor cable. One of my few concerns is that the hinges seem very thin and I reckon it won't be long before they split and break off.

The standard Recharge4 unit is a matt silver and gray, but the newer iPod version is available in the iconic shiny white or black.

According to Exspect you can recharge your gadget of choice up to four times, of course this depends a lot on the battery being recharged, my tests show that mostly you can expect around two possibly three recharges from the unit, but, except under the most isolated of circumstances this should be more than enough for anyone. If you're out of range of range of a power source so long that you flatten the Recharge4 unit and your entertainment devices, I would suggest something extreme like reading a book or taking a walk.

In Short
A great little device that has a single straightforward function that it performs with aplomb, the fact that Exscpect have created adaptors for almost every major portable electronic device is the shining star. I find it very reassuring to know that if the battery on my phone or PSP dies I can recharge it where ever I am. The only two downsides are the rubber socket protectors that could be better designed and the weight, but this is practically impossible to change until someone invents a lightweight battery.

The Recharge4 can be bought from most major electronic stores or from the website. The standard unit sells for £40 and the iPod version sells for £50, but comes in a shinier casing and includes the range of mobile phone adaptors as well as the iPod 30 pin dock adaptor. The individual adaptors are also available for £4 each. ?

L'INQ
Recharge4